I know that it can be difficult to plan what order of service may work best for your kid’s service.
There are so many different things you have to consider, from the time of day and whether or not there will be other events going on in your building, to how much attention span your kids may have and if they like sitting still or moving around.
We have written a guide on the essential elements of a kids church service, but here we cover some of the philosophy to putting them into a certain order.
Here are 7 ideas you might want to consider.
1. What does your ‘grown-up’ Church service do?
At some point, your kids will transition into your adult service and you want that moment to be as successful as possible. That’s why it might be beneficial to look at what order your grown-up Church service does things in and try to plan for that.
2. Outline what the main service elements are and replicate them in your context.
For example, we have ‘Ask God’ and ‘Thank God’ moments to mirror the prayer request and praise report moments.
3. Read your Church mission/vision statement one more time.
Seriously, this step can bring a lot into clarity. What do you love about what God has called your Church to be? How is this reflected and outworked in the children’s ministry?
4. What overarching style of kids ministry are you leaning toward.
We committed to a large group/small group strategy and that guides us when making planning decisions. We begin in age group break out rooms and join together for upfront time before returning to small groups for discipleship. We love the shared experience of the large group time and the smaller group connection.
5. Look outside your cultural context.
VBS is a major ministry event in the U.S. but around the world is virtually unknown. I was fascinated early on by how children’s ministry was outworked in the underground Church in China. Zoom out and take in the big picture.
6. There is nothing new under the sun.
Your innovation is another leaders failed past experiment, and your seemingly obvious idea might just be a breakthrough for another ministry. You are not looking to change the world, just the world of the kids God entrusted to your children’s ministry.
7. Design for growth and expansion.
Start with your space limitations and work from there to plan what you can do within those parameters.
And one final bonus idea…
You want kids to be able to grow into ministry roles so they feel a sense of ownership, doing things themselves instead of having everything done for them. My long-term goal is to see kids running the place in every moment and decision. Design your service with that in mind.
Take these ideas into consideration as part of your plans and then take time before God in prayerful silence to ask Him how He wants this space created for His children!
The Hillsong Kids team from across our worldwide locations want to champion the cause of local Churches everywhere. Give your kids the best possible experience each week at Church. Join the team at our Hillsong Kids Leadership YouTube Channel.
If you liked this, also check out our blog The Styles Of Ministry & Hillsong Kids BiG Curriculum to find everything you need for next Sunday.
Aug 11 2021